At halftime Thursday in New Orleans, a roar erupted inside the Caesars Superdome as Drew Brees, the quarterback who led the Saints to their only Super Bowl championship, was entered into the team’s Hall of Fame.
There was little else to cheer for during ‘Thursday Night Football’ for the home fans, whose team has now lost five consecutive games.
Sean Payton, the coach of that Saints title team in 2009, returned to New Orleans for the first time since stepping down two years ago and left with a 33-10 victory for the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos improved to 4-3 while the Saints, saddled by injuries to their starting quarterback and two best receivers, are now 2-5.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw for 164 yards and gained a season-high 75 yards on the ground, and Denver rushed for 227 yards in the victory, with Javonte Williams scoring two rushing touchdowns.
Unable to move the ball behind their own rookie quarterback, Spencer Rattler, the Saints didn’t score a touchdown until their final drive. Rattler threw for 172 yards but was constantly under pressure while sacked six times. The game was officially put out of reach in the fourth quarter when Rattler was sacked and lost the ball, leading to a 52-yard touchdown return by the Broncos.
